


Swimming Lesson

by SpotsofTea95



Category: Descendants (2015)
Genre: Almost Drowning, F/M, Mutual Pining, but not one of the main characters, oh and actual drowning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-12-02 21:33:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11517903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpotsofTea95/pseuds/SpotsofTea95
Summary: Knowing how to swim isn't exactly an essential survival skill on the Isle of the Lost. You can't really go anywhere and the water is far from pleasant, so how come Harry knows how to swim? Maybe a feisty little sea witch taught him … (Harry x Uma, Huma)





	Swimming Lesson

**Author's Note:**

> Author's note
> 
> First things first, the world of descendants plus its characters don't belong to me but to Melissa de la Cruz. The idea to this story is the only thing that is all mine. I was inspired by a line in the 3rd book when (SPOILER ALERT) Harry falls down into the cave on the Isle of the Doomed, lands in an underground lagoon and says that, "at least he did know how to swim." That made me wonder where and why he might have learnt it because I can't imagine the water being all that nice on the Isle of the Lost . Thus,this fic was born. Also, after wathing all the behind the scenes footage of the new movie, the 'what's my name' music video and reading thhe book, I just had to write a Harry x Uma (Huma) story. They are sooooo adorable together 3 ^^
> 
> One last thing, my punctuation skills are not the best, so if a comma is missing here and there or if it's in a weird place just ignore it or tell me in the comments and I'll try to fix it. By the way, leave a comment ;-)
> 
> Anyway, on to the story. This is pre the first book, back when they were both ten years old.

“No, no, no please Harriet, please no! Heeeelp!” was the last thing anyone ever heard from the unfortunate little cabin boy that had the misfortune to stand in Harriet Hook’s way when she was in an even worse mood than usual. Harry watched with wicked glee, but also a good portion of apprehension as the boy’s bandana floated to the surface of the grimy water which surrounded his father’s ship. That was the fifth cabin boy this week who had to walk the plank because Harriot was in a foul mood for one reason or the other. Harry gulped a little, his older sister could be quite scary. 

“That’s Captain to you, you sorry excuse for a pirate!” hollered thirteen year old Harriet. Even though she was still very young, she already had her own crew and even a ship. Harry thought that was a bit unfair but then again, his dad had said that he could have Harriet’s ship if he challenged her for it…. One look at his sister scowling at the place where the cabin boy had plunged into the sea with furry in her eyes, as if daring him the resurface, made him reconsider. He would earn his dad’s respect and his captaincy some other way. He was Harry Hook after all, who wouldn’t want to sail the seven seas with him as captain. Not that sailing anywhere was even an option at the moment, what with the dome and all, but it is the thought that counts, Harry reckoned. 

One last look at the floating bandana and his ever-angry sister and Harry decided it would be safer to find some other place to spend the day at. He climbed down the rigging of the Jolly Rogers, where he had previously been swinging in (before Harriot marched the cabin boy on deck) as quietly as possible, so as not to become the next target of his sister’s fury. The second his feet hit the ground, he sprinted off the boat as if Tick-Tock was after him. He didn’t even look back to check if Harriot had seen him. After he had run a safe distance from the boat, he stopped and hid in a little alleyway between two shops alongside the port. 

Half an hour passed before Harry dared to move out of his hiding spot, now convinced that his big sister either hadn’t seen him or just didn’t bother with chasing him. Either way, he was safe for now. But that left him with another dilemma, what in the name of Davy Jones was he supposed to do now? He could wander through the market place here at the harbour and stir up some trouble or steal a few shiny trinkets, but doing all of that on his own just didn’t sound appealing to him. He needed a partner in crime otherwise it would be too boring. But were does one find a partner when all other children are probably just now sitting in Serpent Prep (where he should be too in all fairness, if he wasn’t playing hooky) and listening to his dad and the other teachers prattle on about the perfect sword fighting technique (fighting dirty, of course) or how to steer a boat safely through even the thickest fog (he was Captain Hook’s son, for crying out loud, he knew all that already!). 

With a defeated sigh Harry slumped on the nearest pile of cloths, for which he earned quite a few nasty looks from the salesman who owned said cloths and was trying to sell them. Not that Harry cared. He might be only ten years old, but his father was the most feared pirate to ever sail the seven seas, no one here would bother him because they were too scared of Captain Hook. The young pirate sent a gloomy look to the ships docked in the harbour, which were rocking back and forth on the surprisingly gentle waves. It was quite hot today (one of the reasons why he didn’t want to sit in a stuffy classroom all day) and the water did look appealing. Unfortunately, swimming wasn’t really an option because nobody on the Isle of the Lost knew how to swim. Sure, the sea witches could swim and also a few of the pirates, but most of the folk living on the Isle never bothered to learn. There was no reason to. The water was always cold and very unpleasant and so murky that you could never quite tell what might be lurking in its depth, in other words not a nice place for a casual swim.

‘Still’, Harry mused, ‘I’d rather deal with whatever is in that water than to stew in my own sweat a minute longer!’…… Wait a minute! The sea witches! Of course, Uma might have had the same idea as him and played hooky, or at least left school early! It was a long shot but it was better than sitting here and being miserable, he reckoned. With that in mind, Harry jumped up from the cloth pile and raced through the busy market place towards Ursula’s Fish and Chips Shoppe. While dogging all kind of shoppers (adults, children and goblins, to name a few), Harry managed to grab two apples that looked relatively fresh and juicy, as a little snack for later. 

Reaching his destination, he slipped through the swinging doors and started looking for his best friend. Not that he was allowed to call Uma that in public because of the Isle’s strict rules against friendship and the likes, which was generally frowned upon. You could have sidekicks, minions or a partner in crime even, but friends!? Oh no, that was not looked upon too kindly. But in his mind, Harry did think of the little sea witch as a friend. He wouldn’t let just anyone boss him around after all, and now that Gil stopped hanging out with them, the two of them had gotten even closer. There was hardly a day on the Isle when the duo didn’t stir up some trouble in the port or around various shops at the dockside market place.

Harry grinned, while searching the pub for Ursula’s daughter, as he reminisced about a prank they had played on some goblins down in the wharf just last week. They had caused quite an uproar when they had dumped a whole bucket of pink hair dye (swiped from Lady Tremaine’s Curl Up & Dye, of course) on some unsuspecting goblins who were just unloading one of the ships from Auradon. He cackled sinisterly, which earned him a few weary sidelong glances from patrons, as he remembered the outrageous screeches and the hilarious sight of neon pink goblins flailing around while he and Uma howled with laughter on top of one of the cranes used to unload heavier cargo from the ships. 

‘Where is she?’ He had looked everywhere already, even peeked into the kitchen, although he didn’t dare enter it because Uma’s accomplice or not, Ursula would tolerate no one but Cook in her kitchen. Frustrated, Harry plopped down on an empty chair and glowered at the dirty table. What was he supposed to do now? Suddenly a plate of clams was slammed down in front of him, making him almost fall off the chair in shock. After looking up he came face to face with the surly head chef, aptly named Cook. The young pirate gulped but still gave the sourly woman his best grin (the one that makes all the ladies swoon, although at his age, they tend to giggle more and try to pinch his checks; quite annoying!). Cook only snorted at his attempt to charm her and nodded towards the doors. “If you’re looking for Uma you won’t find her here, try the far end of the dock by the beach, she sometimes goes there when she’s avoiding her Ma or work.” 

Without a word of thanks (but with a grateful nod), Harry quickly left the Fish and Chips Shoppe. ‘How come I don’t know about her hiding spot? She knows all of mine after all!’ A bit peeved, but mostly curious the young buccaneer swiftly raced down to, what the people on the Isle derisively called, ‘the beach’. The ‘beach’ was (surprise, surprise) not soft and sandy, but rather a small rocky cliff where one could, for once, safely get into and out of the sea surrounding the Isle of the Lost with relative ease (meaning that there were no ridiculously tall rock cliffs to climb). ‘What in the seven seas is Uma doing at a place like this?’

He got his answer as he climbed over the last few rocks separating him from the slightly secluded area. The path that led to the ‘beach’ was the main reason nobody really visited this place after all. Slippery rocks created obstacles that could and have killed quite a few overeager adventurers already. But all that didn’t really concern Harry at the moment, he had other things in his mind. Like the pile of clothes lying near the waterside on some rocks. He could swear that that was Uma’s favourite shirt (it was the teal that tipped him off). But why would she leave her stuff unguarded and in such a place …. scratch that why would she run around naked in the first place …. Run ….. Around ….. Naked. … 

Harry was still frozen to the spot and furiously trying to will the blush from his cheeks when Uma’s head broke through the surface of the water. “Harry? What are you doing here?”. “Uuuhm … I … eh … I was …. eh..” Uma chuckled mischievously at his flustered stuttering, “Tick-Tock got your tongue?” “Ha ha, very funny,” the young pirate groused. He was still sore about the fact that the old crocodile had blatantly refused to take a bit out of him, so that he could finally get his hook, and Uma knew that. Which was why she brought it up whenever she could. Weren’t friends something precious?   
The young sea witch cackled gleefully with a wicked smile on her pretty face, teasing the boy never got old. But still …”Soooo, why are you here? This place is not exactly one of your usual hang out places,” Uma remarked. “Well, I was bored and thought we could torment the goblins again or roam around the market place or something like that” “Uuh, it’s way too hot for that. How did you even find me here? I didn’t tell you about this place.” At that Harry gave her a dirty look, “Yeah, I know, thanks for that by the way, you know all my hiding places!” he accused. Uma rolled her eyes at his whiny tone. “Stop pouting you big baby, I just wanted one place where I could have my peace. Besides there is nothing here for you to do while I swim, so I figured it was unnecessary to tell you in the first place,” the girl reasoned with a shrug of her shoulder, still treading water. 

Harry glowered at her for a moment longer, before heaving a defeated fight. He hated it when Uma out reasoned him. Sadly, she was right, it would be pretty boring for him if all he could do was watch her swim. But she could have still told him about it, he thought stubbornly. As if reading his mind, Uma, with another roll of her dark eyes, relented. “Ok, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but if you tell anyone about what I just said or this place than you’re dead Hook, understood!” Harry nodded his head furiously and tried to suppress the small smile that threatened to slip out. Judging by Uma’s scowl, he wasn’t as successful as he’d thought. 

Suddenly, Harry had a “brilliant” idea. “You could teach me how to swim, then we can both come here and I could finally get out of this heat!” For a moment Uma just stared at him, as if he’d grown another head, before bursting out laughing. This time, Harry really did pout while the young sea witch tried desperately not to drown because of her laughing fit. “What’s so funny!?” He angrily waited with arms crossed over his chest, as Uma calmed herself down enough to be able to speak again. “Why would I teach you how to swim!? If you want to learn do it yourself”, she sneered and promptly swam from the shore again. Harry was left grumbling and a bit hurt that she would dismiss him like that, but at the same time he took her words as a challenge. Fine, if she wouldn’t help him than he would learn on his own. How hard could it be. All you had to do was move your arms and legs a bit and try to keep your head above the water. It looked easy enough when Uma did it, so it shouldn’t be too complicated.

Now all that was left to ponder was whether or not he should strip down completely as well (although he did suspect that she had kept her underwear on, even though he tried not to think about her state of undress at all). Shrugging a shoulder, he decided to take everything but his boxer shorts and pants off (because he wasn’t quite brave enough to stand in front of Uma in underwear alone). After putting his clothes beside her pile, he approached the black sea water and looked down to gauge it’s depth (he couldn’t see the bottom, in fact he couldn’t see anything). He had also lost sight of Uma, the young sea witch was probably diving again. Harry shivered as he stared into the murky water surrounding the Isle of the Lost. He shook because of the piercing cold wind. Not because he was scared or something equally ridiculous as that. No, not him, he was Hook’s son after all and the sea wouldn’t, couldn’t scare him. Never. With one last deep breath, Harry jumped.

Blackness. That was all he could see, or not see, anyway it was dark and freezing cold. Yes, he wanted a reprieve from the unbearable heat, but this was a temperature shock he wasn’t prepared for. He also wasn’t prepared for the fact that no matter how much he struggled, he just kept sinking further from the bright glimmer he could see when he looked towards the water’s surface. This wasn’t supposed to happen! It had looked so easy when Uma did it, why wasn’t it working now!? He felt the panic creeping up on him even faster when he realised that he needed air, and soon! Harry paddled with all his might, but it was no use. He was just about to give up when a hand suddenly grabbed his arm and dragged him back to the surface. The second his head broke through the water he tried to take in a big breath of air, only to realise moments after that he’d need to first hack up all the water he’d swallowed and inhaled before that would work in his favour. 

Uma couldn’t believe how stupid the boy was. She hadn’t been diving when Harry had walked up to the shore and jumped in, but rather hiding behind a few rocks that jutted out of the water. She wanted to see how he would take her blatant rejection of his request but she hadn’t thought he‘d do something so ridiculously dangerous. The second she saw him jump, she dove after him, knowing that he’d drown otherwise. She needed her sidekick, so she couldn’t let him die, even if he’d deserve it for being such a colossal idiot. It had nothing to do with the fact that she would probably be miserable without him on this blasted island. Nothing at all. She also squashed the tiny spark of guilt that flared up inside of her. She hadn’t told him to jump that was his decision not hers. So what if she’d refused to teach him, it didn’t mean this was her fault. Anyhow, first he needed to get out of the water and then she would chew him out for being and idiot, or well, and even bigger idiot than usual. 

Looking like a drowned rat and still greedily gasping for air, Harry climbed back onto the cliff he’d jumped from and flopped down on his belly. Uma climbed out after him and pinned him with her patented death glare she’d adopted from her mother. Tiredly looking up at her, he was even too exhausted to be properly intimidated by her look. However, a tiny part of his brain found enough strength to muse about the fact that he’d been right, Uma was still wearing her underwear. He squashed that thought right afterwards and thanked every god that would listen that apparently, he was even too exhausted to blush. Uma, thankfully, didn’t pick up on his inner musings and continued to scowl at him. “How stupid do you have to be to jump into the sea when you can’t swim!?” The tired pirate winced at her loud screech and attempted to answer her, which ended in another coughing fit. “Don’t even try to answer that. I have my answer already, it’s lying in front of me. I don’t know why I bother, you are so hopeless.” With a resigned sigh Uma turned and walked towards the rock where she’d left her clothes, completely missing the spark of defiance that came alive in Harry’s eyes at her words. Maybe her mother wouldn’t be too angry that she’d skipped her shift and gone swimming instead. Yeah right, as if Ursula wouldn’t take any chance she got to chew her out for every tiny mistake she made. Oh well, she can’t avoid her forever.

Just as she was about to slip her favourite shirt back over her head, she heard a loud splash from behind her and even felt a few water droplets land on her back and thighs. With a murderous look in her eyes she turned to face Harry - How dare he splash her with water!? - only to come face to face with nothing. For one moment, she stood frozen starring at the place the young pirate had been in just a few seconds ago before something in her brain clicked and she finally understood what had happened. ‘He hasn’t … Did he really just…..!?’Cursing him under her breath, she flung the shirt back towards her other clothes and took a flying leap into the sea, after her moronic best friend who apparently had a death wish. She also squashed the fond emotion that tried to emerge as she pondered his stubbornness. 

A few moments later the duo broke through the water’s surface again, in much the same fashion as just a few minutes ago. Uma heaved Harry back onto the cliff and was about ready to throttle him. The young pirate, on the other hand, was once again busy gasping for air. “Are you completely nuts now!?Why did you jump in again! I swear if you do that one more time, I will let you drown!” Uma warned. “.. then … teach me ….how to …. swim,” Harry gasped. “You almost drowned, twice, and you still want to go back in there!? Why?” It just didn’t make sense everybody else would be traumatised after something like that, so why did Harry want to go back in? “Because I … refuse to ….be scared of … the sea…. and dad knows …. how to swim … so I have to ….. know it ….. too,” he wheezed, after which he gave up on speaking altogether and simply tried to get his breathing back under control. Meanwhile, Uma sat beside him a little shocked at his words. She thought he just wanted to spend time with her (and a tiny part of her was disappointed that that was apparently not his main motivation), but this confession was not something she’d expected to hear from him. It did make sense though. He was one of the most stubborn people she’d ever met and an incredibly proud pirate. On top of that, she could relate to him wanting to impress his dad, she was trying to do the same with her mum after all. She pondered all that for a while and just as she was about to agree to be his teacher, he added, “ … and I wanted to spend time with you.” 

Uma desperately tried not to blush (she was valiantly ignoring the part of her that was – god forbid – squealing over that last confession of his) while simultaneously whacking him over the head for his trouble. With a miffed huff, she rose from her sitting position and stalked towards the sea once again. “Where are you going?” Harry, still out of breath but doing considerably better, asked confusedly. “Going back into the water of course, dummy. You won’t learn how to swim if you stay on that cliff, will you?” “Wait, so you’ll teach me!?” She rolled her eyes at the obvious eagerness she could see shining in his. “No, I just figured that I’d have a better view watching you drown from in here - of course I’m going to teach you. Now move it, I don’t have the whole day,” the young sea witch replied gruffly. Even her bad-tempered demeanour couldn’t dampen Harry’s spirit as she finally agreed to teach him how to swim. 

It wasn’t easy though, even with her help. Harry thought she was close to losing her temper with him at least five different times, but still they kept at it till he could safely swim a short distance without sinking beneath the water. Even though Uma would rather die than admit it, she was proud of him for being such a quick learner. As the sun started to sink below the horizon, and the water got even colder, both decided to call it a day, got dressed and headed back to the Fish and Chips Shoppe. “Uh, mum’s going to be so angry that I skipped work today,” Uma whined. Harry gave her a sidelong glance before starring ahead again. They were almost there. Stopping just outside they said their goodbyes and Uma was just about to enter and face her mother’s wrath, when a hand on her elbow stopped her. Turning back to the young pirate, she was just about to ask him what he’d forgotten to tell her when an apple was suddenly trusted in her face. She went cross-eyed to keep it in her sight before shifting her eyes to Harry who was looking everywhere else but at her. “Take it as a kind of thank you for not letting me drown and teaching me how to swim. I know how your mum is in one of her moods, and if you don’t get dinner, then that will at least be something,” Harry babbled with a suspicious red streaking across his cheeks. Quickly looking around if anyone had seen their little interaction, she grabbed the apple and gave him a small grateful smile that he echoed with one of his own, but just as quickly their smiles turned into twin smirks (to keep up the appearance) and with one last nod they went their separate ways. ‘Who would have thought that skipping school could be so educational,’ Harry mused while weaving thought the thinning crowd, heading back to the Jolly Rogers, ‘I should really do that more often!’

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading my story, please leave a comment to tell me what you liked about it or how I could improve my writing. Have a wonderful day (or night ^^)!


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